My Family

My Family

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Whiskey's 1st Birthday!!!

Today is Whiskey's first birthday and we went all out!! Yes, I'm the crazy dog lady as of now!! But really, we had a good time celebrating. Yesterday I decided to make him home-made dog treats and they turned out so cute!!!
Whiskey getting excited!!
This is the part that took the longest, but well worth it!!
Baking away!

They turned out so cute!! I found a recipe on Pinterest and I think it turned out really well... Here is what I did:
Ingredients: 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 cup rolled oats, 1 tablespoon parsley, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup non-fat dry milk, 1 cup peanut butter. 
Instructions: mix dry ingredients then wet ingredients. Then mix all together. Roll with a rolling pin and then use a cookie cutter to cut out fun shapes. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes. 

So today we had our neighbors over for dinner (they have 2 dogs that always play with Winston and Whiskey) and then we celebrated!!

Whiskey got to wear this cute Birthday ribbon...


All the pups got frozen custard with a home-made bone...

Whiskey, Winston, Mox and Zoe
YUM!!
Mox liked it so well he wouldn't let go of his bowl!!

It was a great first birthday!!! Hopefully all the dogs don't get tummy aches tonight!!! 

Yes, I do realize I'm crazy!! If I'm doing this for my dog I can only imagine what I'm going to be like with kids!! Trevor did tell me I can only do this for Whiskey's first birthday...we'll see about that! 😄🐶

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Country Living for the Weekend

After going back to work last Monday and working all week, all I wanted was a relaxing weekend! Now, I know I probably sound a bit dramatic but after sleeping in all summer, waking up before 6 is really a stretch. Plus, the first few weeks I feel like I talk my students ears off letting them know of all our policies and getting started on all our beginning of the year activities. So I'm usually exhausted at the end of the day! But back to the weekend...our neighbors have some friends that live in Shidler that invited us there for the weekend, so we took them up on the offer. Seriously, all we did was relax (the girls anyway) and it was PERFECT!!! Here are some photos of the beautiful countryside!

Dirt roads and sunflowers!! LOVE!



Beautiful!
 It was just what I needed to rejuvenate myself for this week!

The couple that we stayed with have 3 dogs, plus our neighbors brought their 2 dogs and we brought Whiskey. I thought Winston might like staying with my parents more, so he stayed in Tulsa. All of the dogs were males except for one, so I was a little surprised at how well they got along most of the weekend. Whiskey did get in a little altercation...

My poor pup looks like he has a black eye right now! When we got home we took him to Trevor's aunt's house because she is a nurse and she closed the gash up with some skin glue. He is heeling up, but I was a little sad because his birthday is tomorrow...and you know me...I will want a birthday picture! He will just look rough and tough for his 1st birthday!

Stay tuned for a blog about Whiskey's birthday!..I made him a special treat this evening!

I'm already looking forward to this weekend!!! Football season begins!!! PISTOLS FIRIN'

Monday, August 19, 2013

Sew Cute - Pt. 2

August must be my sewing month, because I busted out my sewing machine lately and got a few things whipped up. Now, I am not very good with a sewing machine, but I can get around and get things done that I want. Last year I decided to make a cute key chain for my work keys and since that one is a little worn out, I decided it was time for a new one. I also wanted to make a few extra for some of my team members...here they are:

The fabrics I chose
In the process
All finished!!
I am just loving the chevron pattern!!! Aren't they cute?? These key chains are so easy to make, really cute, and are extremely handy! I also have one for my car keys that has elastic in it. Last year around this time I did a blog post on how to make them...you can view that here if you are interested in making your own! I promise, they are super easy to make!

Since I had the sewing machine out, I decided to whip up a baby blanket as well. A good friend of mine is about to have her second baby. Since I made her first born a blanket, I thought I could make another one for her second. 
Here are the fabrics I chose...it's a girl of course! :)

vua-la!! It's it adorable? I know....I'm obsessed with chevron!

I then wanted to add a monogram...so I asked Trevor's grandma if she could help me out! She is a genius with all this stuff!
 
Finished product!! I just love it!
As I mentioned before...this isn't my first rodeo with baby blankets...and of course I blogged about it when I made the first one and you can view that here for an easy tutorial on how to make a baby blanket!!!
Kari, if you are reading this post then you get to see Cambryn's baby blanket a little early!! I can't wait to give it to you in person!!! ;)

If you are just now learning to use a sewing machine, I suggest starting out with something simple like these projects! I promise, you will be pleased with the outcome.
Happy Sewing!!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Two-Steppin' in Stillwater

This past weekend I was in a singing contest that took place at the Tumbleweed in Stillwater. Since many of our college friends live in either Tulsa or OKC, we decided to make some calls and see if we could make a fun night in Stillwater happen! We had a group of almost 20 people come out and support me and hang out that night!! I loved having all of them there!!! Here are a few photos of the contest:




After the contest we decided to hit the strip and see what trouble we could get into! ;)
Our main goal was to do some two-stepping!! So we headed to Outlaws!! Now, if you can't remember the last time Trevor and I two-stepped, you will have to check it out here!!! But we got out there and did our thing and luckily...no more bruised tailbones! 

me and Cassie!


My Number 1 supporter and love of my life!!


love this guy!!!


I have no words...

We had an awesome time in Stillwater with some of our best friends!!! Thank you to everyone who came out to support me!! I love you all!!!

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

What Did Teachers Do Before Pinterest?

The title is self explanatory!! How did teachers get all their creative ideas before Pinterest came around?! People probably think that with planning weddings now-a-days too! Sadly, I had not heard of Pinterest when I was planning our wedding. I literally got a Pinterest account the day we returned from our honeymoon! Haha! I'm almost glad I didn't have it or I would have wanted to add 3X's the decor I had planned! But anyway, back to classrooms...I added some more stuff to mine this week and wanted to post about it and as you can probably guess, all my ideas came from the one and only!! 
I made this little board because I plan on incorporating more end of the hour activities where we reflect on the things discussed. I'll probably have them write on post-it's and put them on the board. It's also just a nice reminder to myself that I need to make time for a reflection! 

I printed this little goody and put it with my pencils that Trevor helped me make with zebra duck tape. I thought it was funny! I will eventually hang this above the counter space next to my pencil bucket, but all my textbooks are stacked on the counter right now!

I also printed this and I put it next to the pencil sharpener so they have something to read while they are sharpening their pencils. All the jobs that need math!

I added this little goody to my Words of Wisdom board. I think this applies to everyone!!!

Thanks Pinterest for helping me decorate my classroom this year!!!

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Dallas

Trevor has had to go to a couple trainings this summer and I decided that since this was my last week of summer vacation I would tag along on the Dallas trip. I told Trevor to find a hotel with a pool and a workout room and I would be good! That's all I would be doing at home, so why not? He actually did one better and we got a hotel with a free breakfast as well.

Our Dallas trip definitely didn't start off very well. Our plan was to wake up early, Trevor was going to mow the lawn while I finished packing, then we were going to go to church at 10 and then head out after church around 11:15 because we wanted to go to the Allen Outlet Mall in Texas on our way to Dallas. Only one of those things happened...we left for Dallas around 11:15.

On Saturday night we had some friends stay with us, so we ended up staying up WAYYYY too late. I woke up kind of early because I had to finish packing and get ready, but Trevor didn't get out of bed until after 10...plus I think he only got about 3-4 hours of sleep. So needless to say mowing the lawn and making it to the 10 o'clock service just wasn't going to happen if we wanted to stay on schedule leaving around 11 to go to Dallas. I ended up making some breakfast and then we packed the car and luckily we left on time and dropped Whiskey off at Trevor's dad's house.

We got a few hours into the trip - about 30 miles north of Atoka and I had to use the restroom. So we pulled over and I ran inside. When I came back out, the truck wouldn't start. (Most of you probably don't know this, but this truck has been giving us SOOOO many problems the past couple weeks. We have literally put $1,000 into it in a 2 week span. So needless to say, we were a little very frustrated!) Someone told us there was an O'Reilly's down the road in Atoka, so a nice man had some jumper cables and jumped the truck. When we got to Atoka we stopped at the O'Reilly's because there were no auto shops open since it was Sunday. They tested a few things on the truck and came to the conclusion that the alternator had gone bad, so we needed to replace it. Now our only problem was that Trevor would have to install the new alternator. Trevor is not really a car guy, meaning, he will get stuff done when it needs to be done, but he usually has his dad's help or a friend helping him. So I'm sure he was a little nervous having to do this all by himself. Luckily, he was calling a good friend that knows a lot about cars and talking to his dad and they were talking him through several of the steps. We literally hit a breaking point where something was not working on the truck and we didn't have any other options and all of a sudden a kid in high school pops up out of no where and asked us if we needed any help!! YES WE DO! Prayers were definitely answered in that moment. He really helped Trevor. Shortly after Trevor started working on the truck I decided to make myself useful and walk over to Sonic and get us some waters since it was so hot. When I got to Sonic I realized I must have misplaced my debit card because it was not where it was supposed to be. Luckily, I had $1 on me to pay for the waters. It turns out that when we went out to eat last Friday, I left it at the restaurant. Luckily (again) they still had it and would keep it until I got back in town. Back to the truck, we stopped in Atoka around 2:30 and we weren't back on the road until about 6:15...so we were set back just a little! An alternator and another new battery (we just bought one 5 days prior to this happening also) we were on our way again.

We ended up arriving in Dallas around 8:15 and since we had dinner plans with some friends in Dallas, we didn't end up getting to go shopping. We decided to shop on our way out of town instead. That night we had dinner with our friend Bizzle and his fiancé Corinne at a place called The Grape. It was delicious...especially after a LONG day of traveling. That night we stayed the night at Bizzle's since we didn't have the hotel until Monday. THANKS BIZZLE!

Monday:
We got up Monday morning and Trevor had to be at work at 8:30. We called the hotel and thankfully, they let us check in really early that morning. So, we got some Starbucks and then headed for the hotel. Trevor went off to his training and I fell back asleep and didn't wake up until 9:45 and rushed down to get some breakfast (it ended at 10). After breakfast I went and worked out. Sadly, the elliptical wasn't working, so I stuck with the bike and the treadmill all week.

My home for the week.
Next, I went and laid out by the pool. It was REALLY HOT!!! I think I was sweating more from laying out then from working out!
This is our view of the pool from our room.

 
Trevor read his first Dave Ramsey book not long ago and he wanted me to read it as well so I was familiar with what he has started to do with our budget and why he did certain things. So I started reading it when I was laying out by the pool. ***Trevor has done some awesome things with our budget after reading this book, so I have asked him to write a blog post on budgeting!!! I'm not sure when he will have time for it, but I'm excited to read it and I know anyone reading will learn something new! I can't wait!*** After the pool I came back to the room and got ready for the day. I had some time to work on school stuff so that was nice. Trevor got back around 5:15 and we went to a place called Manny's with Trevor's co-workers Vanessa and Brock. After we ate dinner we went to a little bar called the Quarter? (I can't really remember). But it was right next door to a place called Primos which is where we ate brunch the day we got engaged back in 2010. On our way back to the hotel we stopped at a gas station to grab some snacks/lunch food because by the time we ate dinner I was STARVING!

Geez, I just noticed I hardly took any pictures this trip! :( Sorry this post is not very picture pleasing!

Tuesday:
Trevor left for training and my day was pretty much the same. Ate some breakfast, worked out, (this time I got caught up on the Bachelorette while working out!) and laid out by the pool. I had something to do around 2, so I had to cut my laying out time a little short. I got ready and had a Skype chat with a girl from the DC area that I met during my book study. We are doing a lot of the same things in our classrooms next year (which is a little crazy since we are states apart) so it was interesting discussing how that would look and how we were going to incorporate everything we want to do. Trevor got home about 5:30 and we headed to Top Golf! Has anyone ever been to Top Golf? It was our first time and Trevor just loves it! He even asked them if they are going to start franchising soon! He is really serious about this business. It really is a neat concept and although I don't golf, the atmosphere was fun and I honestly had a good time.

Practicing
yummy Sangria!


me and Vanessa


If you can't tell, it was really hot outside...I'm glistening!



My delicious dinner! Yummy Tacos!



Fun group!
Wednesday:
I actually got up early with Trevor because he wanted to have breakfast with me, but then I went back to the room and took a little power nap when he went to work. I then went and worked out, laid out by the pool, and then got ready for the day. I then wanted to grab some lunch since the other days I was starving by the time dinner rolled around, so I walked down to Subway near our hotel. I also wanted to get a pedicure, so I found a place downtown that I could walk to. (I'm not very confident in driving downtown Dallas especially in Trevor's big truck!)


 When Trevor got back from training we went to dinner with Vanessa and Brock. The place we ended up going to was actually kind of fancy and no one mentioned this. So Trevor and I were in pretty casual clothes. I looked cute, but I had cut off white shorts on, so I felt a bit out of place. We also had to wait until 8:20 to be seated, but the food was totally worth it. Vanessa saw awhile back that this restaurant was rated #1 in some magazine, so she had been wanting to try it.

It was called Neighborhood Services
Thursday:
Same as yesterday: I had breakfast with Trevor, fell back asleep, then went and worked out. After I worked out, I completely defeated my workout by going to Chipotle! It was really good though. I then laid out for a bit, but it was so stinkin' hot that I didn't stay out very long. Trevor got home kind of early because we went to a happy hour for his work at a place called Social House. We then went and grabbed some dinner at Sfuzzi's and then headed to Kungfu for the night. We played a lot of foosball-and I actually beat Trevor a few times! That never happens. And we rented out a karaoke room for an hour...so we definitely had some fun!


Trevor singing "Friends in Low Places"



 
That night we got a cab back to the hotel and right when we get to the hotel and are paying, he turns on all the lights in the cab (there are all different colored lights and a disco ball) and he then tells us that he is the karaoke cab! (Are you kidding me?!) I was so sad...I would have sang the whole way home! haha! So if you are ever in Dallas...give this guy a call!




 
Friday:
Trevor's training was only half a day on Friday, so he left for work and I got the car all packed and ate some lunch. When he got off work we headed to the outlet mall and did some shopping! We had a successful day shopping and then we ate some dinner at In-N-Out because we've never tried it before. 

Two Thumbs Up!!!

We then headed home and luckily, we didn't have any car trouble on the way home! :)
 
We are happy to be home safe and sound with our pups! Now it's time to get serious about school starting!!